Trump’s coastal power grab should alarm all Americans

Environmental laws are often criticized for being one-size-fits-all mandates imposed on Americans who know how to govern their own affairs.

A prime example to the contrary is the Coastal Zone Management Act . Signed by former President Nixon, it empowers 35 states and territories along the coast and Great Lakes to advance their own priorities in federal decision making about the coast and ocean while standing up for local economies, natural resources and communities they know best.

Having administered environmental laws in state and federal leadership, I am extremely concerned how the Trump administration is manipulating this model law to impose a federal takeover of California’s coast. The best results come from state-federal partnership, not presidential fiat.

Arbitrary governance of the coast places our entire nation’s economy at risk. If coastal counties were a country, its gross domestic product would rank third in the world — behind only the United States and China.

A clean and healthy coast is an economic, cultural and ecological asset. Gambling with it to benefit currently favored industries is foolish, sacrifices the freedoms of nearly 130 million coastal Americans , and risks needless economic harm. The administration must chart a smarter course.

Under the guise of expanding offshore oil drilling and space launches , along with the establishment of seabed mining , this effort is supported by some of my Republican friends. But political pendulums inevitably swing, and this short-sighted initiative creates a dangerous power grab for future presidents of any political stripe to exploit.

It began when Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick ordered the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to reopen the routine evaluation of California’s coastal management program done, but not finalized, under the Biden administration. Lutnick’s order, citing economic factors and favoring select industries, signals this duplicative review is rigged.

The Coastal Zone Management Act grants coastal states authority to balance national interests with their distinct priorities. Following certification by NOAA, states assess and shape proposed federal plans and projects affecting their coastal zones.

With this authority, California has successfully worked alongside 10 presidents to manage its coast as an economic engine and iconic natural feature attracting visitors and entrepreneurs from around the world. As it grew into the world’s fourth largest economy , California also expanded access to its coast, preserved coastal parkland and wildlife, and ensured local governments have a voice in the approval of federal projects, including subsea fiber optic cables, offshore oil and gas production, and military training exercises.

This is what Californians stand to lose. So, let’s consider Lutnick’s claims that the state blocks the nation’s economy and innovation.

Over nearly 50 years, California has reviewed more than 3,700 federal actions impacting its coast and, in 96 percent of cases , either negotiated improvements or approved projects as submitted. Clearly, the state-federal partnership has worked.

Furthermore, as the home of Silicon Valley, California creates tomorrow’s technologies. It is the foremost destination for venture capital, drawing three times more than the rest of the nation combined during the first half of this year. The state also ranks second for commercial space launches and seventh for crude oil production. These achievements have occurred while protecting nearly 22 percent of its coastline as state parkland and growing a $60.5 billion coastal economy supporting more than 600,000 jobs built on tourism, recreation, transport and fishing.

This formula for success falls apart if Washington can supplant California’s priorities with its own, especially if the Trump administration’s rush for new offshore drilling results in oil spills. We’ve seen time and again that such spills close fisheries, beaches and harbors, and transform vibrant coastal communities into ghost towns overnight.

In this context, the administration’s review of California reflects an approach less interested in facts and science than one focused on delivering a specific outcome for this president, who stands to gain significant power over 840 miles of coast just by changing California’s standing under the Coastal Zone Management Act.

There is more: The Trump administration is targeting California because the state’s coastal management is widely recognized as the nation’s best and strongest. If it falls first to a federal takeover, then like dominos, other states will easily follow, destroying one of our best examples of federalist governance.

This should alarm every American. Our love of the ocean is universal, so the right to manage the coast should remain equal under the law for all coastal states. Instead we see the administration play favorites, demonstrated by the abandonment of its oil drilling plans off the Atlantic coast after significant opposition from the region’s Republican leaders .

As the old saying goes, Washington doesn’t have a monopoly on wisdom. Hopefully, we won’t have to relearn this lesson the hard way.

Christine Todd Whitman served as governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001 and administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2001 to 2003.